Sweet, simple, pumpkin donuts. These are a cozy fall-time treat and can be baked in your oven rather than fried.
I originally shared this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Donuts over on Real Housemoms!
Alright everyone, after today’s pumpkin donuts I have just one pumpkin recipe left for the season, so for those of you who hate pumpkin, relief is in sight, and for those of you who love it, well, we’ve had a pretty good run.
It’s been really chilly here recently and finally actually feels like Fall. The mornings are the absolute worst, and pulling myself out of my warm bed every morning just plain sucks, as I’m sure most of you can relate.
My favorite way to combat the cold is with a warm breakfast, and while I know, I know, donuts aren’t really breakfast food, these pumpkin spice donuts, warm out of the oven with their cozy pumpkin spice and cinnamon flavor have been such a great comfort food to ease me in to the morning cold. Plus, at least these are baked and not fried, so I think they deserve some breakfast points for that 😉
I use these donut tins (affiliate) that I bought from Amazon to make these donuts. It makes a few more than an even dozen, so sometimes I’ll bake the extra batter in my mini donut pan rather than waiting for the first batch to bake then washing, and reusing the full-sized pan.
To get the batter neatly into the tins, I recommend pouring it into a large Ziploc bag and then piping the batter into the donut cavities (filling each one ⅔ of the way full). Much easier and less messy than using a pair of spoons to scoop it!
And then once they’re finished cooling, there’s the butter-based pumpkin spice glaze that we need to talk about.
Ok, so this glaze definitely is not super breakfast healthy, but it’s also definitely not optional, either.
It’s easy to make with just 5 ingredients. Make sure to let your donuts cool completely before dipping them, or the glaze will just melt right off (if you want your donuts still warm, I’m an advocate for serving this glaze on the side right after making it, like a dipping sauce — it’s a miracle I’m not 1,000 lbs right now I swear)
There you have it — soft, fluffy, cozy pumpkin donuts.
Enjoy!
Baked Pumpkin Donuts
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (185 g) pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) milk
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla
- 3 Tablespoons (42 g) butter melted and cooled
Glaze
- 2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ cup (57 g) butter melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 Tablespoon water
Instructions
Donuts
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and spray a 12-cavity donut pan with non-stick baking spray.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt.1 ¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (100 g) packed brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree and melted butter.¾ cup (185 g) pumpkin puree, 3 Tablespoons (42 g) butter
- Add eggs, milk, and vanilla and stir well.2 eggs, ⅓ cup (80 ml) milk, 1 ½ tsp vanilla
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, folding in carefully so as not to over-mix.
- Pour the batter into a large Ziploc bag and snip off the corner for a makeshift piping bag.
- Pipe the batter into the donut pans, filling each mold ⅔ full.
- Bake on 350F (175C) for 10-12 minutes.
- Allow donuts to cool for 5-10 minutes in their pan before carefully removing and allowing to cool completely on cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and pumpkin pie spice.2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Add butter, vanilla extract, and water. Stir until combined.¼ cup (57 g) butter, 2 Tablespoon water, ½ teaspoon vanilla
- Dunk each donut into the glaze and return to cooling rack. Allow glaze to harden before eating and enjoying.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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GL
Hi, Sam! Salted or unsalted butter in the batter and in the glaze?
Sam
I prefer salted for the glaze. 🙂
Alexis
I made these yesterday. The entire family loved them, even my picky kids!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Alexis! 🙂
Wendy
Does the purée need to be blotted?
Sam
No it does not. 🙂
Wendy
Thank you!
Robert Prazeres
made these this weekend…YUMMY…
now I can have my donuts & eat it too…
because they are baked…
do you have one for baked apple cider donuts ?
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed these donuts, Robert! I actually do have a baked apple cider donut recipe. 🙂
Molly
Hi! How long do you bake the little donuts in the mini doughnut pan?
Sam
Hi Molly! Unfortunately I made these a long time ago and I can’t quite remember how long to bake them in the mini pan. I’m really sorry. I can’t believe I didn’t take better notes on this. The baking time will definitely be reduced. I would just keep an eye on them. 🙂
Theresa L
I’m baking them now and definitely need more than 10-12 min at 350. I’d say 15-18 min for mine. Look delicious!
SML
Made these today. My first attempt at making donuts. They were so easy and delicious! My husband loved them and said we won’t have to buy donuts at the bakery anymore. Thanks Sam!
Sam
Yay! So glad they were a hit! Thank you so much for letting e know how they turned out for you! 🙂
Mechelle
These are the best I’ve ever had! Turned out perfectly. Frosted excellent ! Thank you for a great recipe
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wonderful! We’re so happy you loved them Mechelle!
mechelle
I am so excited to make these tomorrow. I have company coming and this will be served. I hope to hop on and make my opinion when finished, but i really don’t have to as SAM had the best recipes. Thank you Sam.. i can’t wait.
Sam
Aw, thank you for such a kind comment, mechelle! I hope everyone loves the donuts! <3
Isabel
The donuts are amazing!! The only thing is the last time I made them, the frosting melted off completely. How could I prevent this?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Isabel! We’re so sorry to hear that happened; how frustrating. This usually happens when the donuts are glazed while still warm. they have to be completely cool before dipping for the glaze to harden and set. Hopefully they still tasted good 🙂
Grace
Hi!! Are these donuts still fresh after a few days, or do they need to be eaten right after being baked??
Sam
Hi Grace! Of course they are always best when first baked but they should still be tasty after a few days as long as they are stored in an air tight container at room temperature. 🙂
Missy
These are AMAZING!
I just bought some donut pans and these were the first donuts I have ever made. The recipe is easy and the results are delicious!
I will be making these again along with some of your other donut recipes.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Missy! 🙂
Corrin
These look so amazing!! The only problem is that I don’t have a doughnut pan! 😉
Totally doing them once I get a pan tho! 🙂
Hope you’re having a wonderful day!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Corrin! I hope that when you do make this recipe, you enjoy it! 🙂